


Answers to Riddles

by GretchenSinister



Series: My Top 10 Rise of the Guardians Otherships & Crossovers Fics [3]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 22:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20628242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GretchenSinister/pseuds/GretchenSinister
Summary: Original Prompt: "This is inspired partially by this prompt: http://rotg-kink.dreamwidth.org/1511.html?thread=9191#cmt9191 BBut also by a wonderful movie called “Mrs. Santa Claus” with Angela Lansbury. For those who don’t know it, you can read a bit about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Santa_ClausAnyway, I had the image that while Mrs. Claus is mostly behind the scenes (managing the mail, watching over the elves etc.), she is something else to everyone in the spirit world. To North, she is his beloved wife, to Jack she is the closest to a mother figure and so on. Most of all, she even takes time for Pitch, and he listens to her, because she gives a damn and understands how fear is necessary, but has been good at telling Pitch to tone it down juuust a little...[cut for length]"My fill developed more gently than this prompt called for. Mostly it’s Mrs. Claus (I named her Katerina but she’s not Katherine, I just can’t think up names to save my life) sharing a quiet evening with her husband after being away for a while (she had a good reason for being gone during the events of the movie). She doesn’t really dig the idea of periodic battles against Pitch and thinks there’s another way.





	Answers to Riddles

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 1/28/2015.
> 
> Here's the rest of the prompt: "...Now imagine her being there during the movie at some point, and she makes him retreat by pulling him aside and him retreating, not because of being yelled at, but because she gave him a ‘I am very disappointed in you’ talk, the kind that makes you wish you could crawl into a dark hole and just die. The shocker? She turns on the guardians give *them* a thorough talk to as well, because she understands from a lot of talks with Pitch she’s had before how fear is necessary, and she is fed up with how everyone is behaving otherwise (if Jamie is there however, she’s going to talk to him very nicely, just so he knows that he’s not doing anything wrong, he should just know that it’s okay to be scared and Pitch is wanting a bit more recognition for his work). 
> 
> \+ if there’s mentioning of any past interactions between Mrs. Clause and the other Guardians (plus Pitch)"

“Have you only been eating stale cookies this whole time I’ve been gone?” Katerina says with a teasing smile at North.   
  
North looks up, startled, from where he’s been playing with the ring on her hand that matches the one on his own, to see that the elves have indeed brought a tray of cookies into their sitting room, as if it’s part of their normal routine. “Ach.” North lifts the plate and shoos them away. “They never brought cookies without asking, ever! Now they are trying to make me look bad. Anyway, the cookies are not stale, they are still good, you made them.”  
  
Katerina lets go of North’s hand and picks up one of the cookies. When she taps it on the plate it makes a clunking noise. She raises her eyebrows and North smiles. “Well, I was enjoying them,” he says.  
  
She takes his hand again and brings it to her mouth to kiss his knuckles. “I don’t know what I’d do with you if you actually had to eat.”  
  
“I would figure out how to take care of myself, even with no magic I would never be a burden, I have survived on my own for a long time before,” North catches himself and says more seriously, “though I do not like to.”  
  
“North,” Katerina says, and North clears his throat.  
  
“How was fairyland this time? As difficult to leave as always, I expect.”  
  
Katerina scoffs. “It’s only difficult because they’ve finally caught on to how clever I am and actually set me hard riddles when I want to leave, now. But they haven’t cottoned to the idea that I’m not too proud to start knocking heads in if I don’t know the answer. I’m almost looking forward to it. Stop them underestimating me, start them realizing that I’m _always_ going to leave with _all_ the changelings, whether they like it or not.”  
  
North smiles. “Well…still want you to be careful. They like to steal people away and they would think nothing of…ah…this ring you wear.”  
  
Katerina laughs, long and loud. “North, look at me,” she says, and he does. Her heavy braids shine like snow under moonlight and her brown eyes twinkle with mischief when he reaches over to run one through his hands like silk. “If that’s how you _look_, I’m never going to be able to make my point,” she chides gently, and North, with effort, refrains from reaching up to brush his thumb across the apple of her cheek. Since they are both sitting, she doesn’t need to raise her head to look directly into his eyes, and even if they were standing, she could do so with only the slightest imperial tilt of her head. She looks very well suited to knocking heads if necessary, but she is also the very picture of bounty and comfort… “North!” she laughs again, and he’s brought to a full and conscious realization that he’s not looking at her eyes anymore. “Now really,” she says, reaching over to tilt his chin up. “Am I the kind of person some fairy prince would kidnap?”  
  
“Yes,” North says at once, and she shakes her head.  
  
“You clearly haven’t spent much time in Fairyland.”  
  
“I probably should not, I would not be able to hide my low opinion of its inhabitants if what you say is true.”  
  
“Ah, North. But I suppose you have enough to deal with out here! So what are you going to do when the Pitch comes back?”  
  
North shrugs. “Drive him back again, of course. With Jack at our sides and believed in now, I do not think Pitch will ever be a serious threat again.”  
  
Katerina pulls her hair out of North’s hand and smacks him with the end of her braid. “You will not! Not unless you want me to go to Fairyland even more often! And don’t underestimate Pitch. I listened _closely_ to the story all you Guardians told. If Pitch was a little more ruthless, he could have destroyed you all.  
  
"So. Even if he doesn’t know it, the answer to that riddle, why he _didn’t_, is this: there’s still a little spark of goodness in him, probably because he _can_ still do good. Even if he’s the boogeyman. I brought a few kids out of Fairyland this time who might have done well to be a little more fearful of preternaturally beautiful strangers offering them their hearts’ desires. Next time he comes back, I want you to capture him, bring him here, and I’ll set him straight on a few things.”  
  
“I–” North stops and nods thoughtfully. “I suppose it is not likely to make anything worse. But we will need Sandy to be supportive of plan.” He grins, and this time it's _his_ eyes that sparkle with mischief. “I bet he will, though!”  
  
“So do I, but not for the reason you’re about to go on about,” Katerina says. She takes North’s hand again. “And I’d like to be very obvious now and ask you if there’s anything I can do to distract you from that topic.”  
  
“What topic?” North says after a brief pause. He stands and she follows. “I would not want to weary you with dull things so soon after your return.”  
  
She pulls him into an embrace. “Is the answer to that riddle that you’re still going to wear me out with exciting things?” she says softly into his ear.  
  
“Ah–yes,” North says.  
  
“Then I’ll claim my prize at once,” she says.

**Author's Note:**

> Tags and Comments from Tumblr:
> 
> #north is still a tiresome blacksand shipper#I'm suddenly probably more invested in Katerina than I should be
> 
> bowlingforgerbils said: formal petition for more mrs. claus in Rise of the Guardian fanfic, especially if she is like your Katerina.


End file.
